Oblivious
by Trisken Leigh
Summary: Sophia Dune, a clever Ravenclaw, observes that Draco Malfoy is having trouble during their sixth year. Though he doesn't tell her what he is doing, she helps him, oblivious to what she herself is doing, and in the end finds herself in love with him.
1. Skip A Trip To Hogsmeade

**Disclaimer: I do not own the plot, the world, the characters, or any other aspect of the series Harry Potter written by J.K. Rowling. I do copy exact words from "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and I admit I do not own the text. **

**This plotline was original but it falls in line with the plot line of the sixth book.**

* * *

**Chapter One**

**Skip A Trip To Hogsmeade**

* * *

The library was empty with the exception of Madame Pince and a tall, lanky student. His blonde hair was slicked back as he bent low over a book. Silence filled the room and the distant laughing and babbling of the rest of the Hogwarts school could be heard through the windows. The sun was shining brightly and the trip to Hogsmeade was a mere half hour away. Students were waiting outside, excited because most of their trips had been canceled because of the harsh weather.

"Mr. Malfoy, why aren't you outside with the others? Not feeling up to a trip to Hogsmeade?" inquired Madame Pince.

"I just feel like staying in today. Not feeling too well," Draco replied .

"Maybe you should go see Madame Pomfrey?" she suggested. "You look a little pale…"

"No, I'm fine thanks."

"Alright then," and Madame Pince walked back to her desk with a look of disapproval, for his attitude, on her face. Draco continued to lean over his book, head resting upon his hands. He groaned at his splitting headache which was stopping him from thinking clearly. He was in such pain he barely noticed the dark haired, tan-skinned girl stroll into the room. She sat at a table across the aisle from Draco. She showed no interest in the fact that Draco was sitting five chairs away. She reached into her bag and drew out a piece of parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink. Draco sighed and got up from the table. He sauntered off to the other side of the library and disappeared into an aisle of shelves.

The young girl hooked a piece of her smooth hair behind her left ear and she pushed her chair away from the table and stood up. She was headed toward a stack of books on the table a couple of feet away. As she ambled past the seat where Draco had been sitting, she glanced at the book he had been reading. The book itself was not as interesting to her as the wet stains on the open pages. Her eyebrows furrowed and she glimpsed upward to the aisle Draco had disappeared into. She continued over to the stack of books and began flipping through the top one. Draco emerged from between the shelves carrying nothing and he returned to his seat with his head on his hands once more. The girl pretended to be interested in the stack of books and glanced at Draco a few times. He ignored the staring and this annoyed her. She put down _100 Ways To Communicate With Snallpuns_ and quietly said, "What's wrong?"

Draco spun around to face the voice and gaped at the girl with a look of confusion spread across his face. This only lasted a split second, but you could tell the question was obviously unexpected and it caught him of guard. His face soon flushed a bright red, but it was hard to tell whether it was from embarrassment or anger.

"So why were you crying?" she girl stated bluntly.

"_Excuse me?_" he snapped viciously. "I was not crying," he defended.

"Okay. Sorry, I just figured you were because there were tear drops on the pages," she argued. His face reddened brighter and he became even more hostile.

"Who are _you_?" he demand with disgust in his voice.

"I'm Sophia Dune from Ravenclaw. And I know you're Draco Malfoy of Slytherin. You don't have a reputation of crying, I know that much. Something must really be bugging you to upset you that much." Her voice was calm yet challenging. How did this girl know so much about him when he barely knew who she was? Draco was baffled and his mind was racing. He tried not to show his confusion and sneered with repulsion,

"Oh, I know you. You're the Chaser on Ravenclaw's Quidditch team. You're a sixth year."

"Yup. I'm in your Transfiguration class too," she added.

"Why were you following me?" he hissed, suddenly suspicious. He made an attempt to sound angry hoping it would hide the fear in his voice.

"_Following you?_ Hah!" she laughed unbelievingly. "Why would _I_ follow _you_?"

"Well why aren't you in Hogsmeade with the rest of them?"

"I have to study for a History test I missed, I've been sick for two days." Draco blushed at his mistake with his abrupt accusation. He covered up with a snigger and turned back to his book hoping she wouldn't ask. "So what about you?" Damnit. She didn't forget.

"I didn't feel too well," he stated bluntly. Sophia snorted and Draco spat out, "What!?"

"Pathetic." Draco appeared confused and annoyed, and Sophia realized he didn't understand and she cleared it up, "Pathetic excuse." He glared at her, though he looked less menacing because of the dark bags under his eyes and his pale face. Just by glancing at him you could guess that he hadn't slept in days.

"It's not an excuse!" he hissed again. "I also had a detention with Professor McGonagall. Unless you think that's an excuse too?" She ignored him and kept talking.

"So why haven't you been getting any sleep lately? What's bothering you?" she asked with sympathy in her voice this time. She wasn't going to give up.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you to not butt into anyone else's business?"

"Why must it be a secret?" They stared at one another. Draco's eyes were no longer red from the tears that he shed earlier. They were narrowed, and Sophia just stared innocently back.

"Why do you care so much?"

"What is so important and secretive that you care to hide?" She was getting more irritated now.

"Get out," he hissed at her like she was repulsive vile.

She collected her belongings and stuffed them into her bag. She got up from the table and walked behind Draco toward the exit. His head followed her to the door.

"If you need help, I can help." With that last statement she walked out. Her offer lingered in the air and Draco didn't bother to take it.


	2. The Mystery Of Crabbe

**Disclaimer: I do not own the plot, the world, the characters, or any other aspect of the series Harry Potter written by J.K. Rowling. I do copy exact words from "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and I admit I do not own the text. **

**This plotline was original but it falls in line with the plot line of the sixth book.**

* * *

**Chapter Two**

**Mystery Of Crabbe**

* * *

Sophia strode down the corridors of Hogwarts heading for her common room. She passed by Harry Potter and his friends on the fourth floor, and overheard them arguing.

"Harry, there is no point!" whined Hermione Granger.

"Yea, I'm sorry Harry, but you don't really have any proof," Ron Weasley stated, blushing from embarrassment at his betrayal of his best mate.

"But I know he is plotting something, I just don't know what and where," Harry Potter quarreled.

Sophia got a gist of the row but still hadn't a clue of what they were fighting about. She shrugged her shoulders and thought about Harry Potter as she headed towards her house's common room.

The _Daily Prophet_ had been saying things, such as; Harry Potter was 'The Chosen One'. Some people believed that he was the one who would take down He-Must-Not-Be-Named, and some believed it was just a bunch of hogwash. Sophia didn't know what she believed. She thought Harry was a good kid and that he was certainly powerful. She was always hesitant to completely trust the _Daily Prophet_ after what happened last year during her fifth year at Hogwarts. The newspaper stated that Harry Potter was a liar and that You-Know-Who had not really returned and printed a lot of junk about him. Then this year, all of a sudden they apologized and admitted Harry had been right after all. Sophia always believed Harry and believed what he said to be truthful. He had been the only truthful one over these past six years.

Sophia came to the entrance door and it asked, "When one does not know what it is, then it is something; but when one knows what it is, then it is nothing." Sophia took five seconds to think of an answer and she answered confidently, "A riddle." The door replied with, "Well spoken" and swung open and she stepped inside the familiar common room.

As Sophia got herself comfortable in a cushy chair, a crowd of girls burst into the room roaring with laughter. Sophia turned her head towards the group and a smile spread across her face.

"What's so funny guys?" she asked. A wavy haired red-head stepped forward and laughed between every few words.

"Ha…we just saw…Crabbe as a…a girl!"

"Carolyn, what are you _talking_ about?"

"We think he might have used Polyjuice Potion!" chuckled a girl by the name of Sindhura. Katie and Rose said in unison,

"But we don't know why!"

"Maybe because he just wanted to…" suggested Charlotte still giggling.

"Where did this happen?" asked Sophia curiously.

"Up on the seventh floor," Rose answered, a smile still plastered on her face. A dark-haired girl came rushing down from the girls' dormitories looking curious.

"Asia! You should have seen…" Katie snickered.

"Seen what? I heard you guys laughing and I came down to see what all the commotion was about," Asia explained.

"Did anyone else see or was it just you five?" Sophia asked, ignoring Asia's question.

"Erin, Kelly, Jen, and Rachel were there too but they had to rush off to ask Professor Slughorn a question about their assignment," Carolyn replied.

"This is too funny…" Sophia blurted.

"Can someone please tell me what happened that was so funny?" Asia asked.

"Crabbe had used Polyjuice Potion…" began Sindhura.

"…to look like a little 1st year girl!" finished Rose. All seven of the girls roared with laughter once more at the retold story.

"Why would he do _that_?" Asia said gasping for breath.

"We have no idea!" Katie responded.

"But it was hilarious!" Carolyn commented.

"Wait…so did Crabbe see you guys notice? What exactly happened?" Sophia interrogated.

"Well, we were just passing by up on the seventh floor and Crabbe started transforming to his regular self before he had a chance to escape into the bathroom. I think he saw us staring at him…" answered Charlotte.

"Alright, well I'm going to bed. It's been a long day," and Sophia started up the stairs.

"But you didn't even go to Hogsmeade, how could you be _that _tired?" Carolyn wondered.

"I've just been making up work all day that I missed when I was sick." She didn't mention her encounter with Draco Malfoy. She was respecting him by telling no one about him crying. Though she thought he was an arrogant prat who felt as though he needed no help at all, she still felt bad for him.

And with that she ambled up the stairs into the girls' dormitories wondering why Crabbe would ever take a Polyjuice Potion to look like a little girl. Maybe someone snuck it into his drink?


	3. Grow Up Already

**Disclaimer: I do not own the plot, the world, the characters, or any other aspect of the series Harry Potter written by J.K. Rowling. I do copy exact words from "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and I admit I do not own the text. **

**This plotline was original but it falls in line with the plot line of the sixth book.**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

**Grow Up Already**

* * *

"With your partner you will practice transforming characteristics of one another. Don't fret, I will fix everything that goes wrong at the end of class. Because of the absences of Ms. Gosselin and Mr. Goyle, you two will have to be partners for today," Professor McGonagall ordered, pointing at both Draco and Sophia. They both glanced up at each other with expressionless faces. "Now, go on, get started." 

Students took out their wands and books and began transforming each other. Sophia reached into her bag and obtained her wand. She looked up at Draco and realized he was not going to get up. She abruptly stood and moved into the vacant seat beside Draco.

"Thanks for moving your seat," she whispered to him sarcastically.

"I wasn't going to move," he replied.

"I could tell."

"So, ladies first?"

"Oh, _now _you're Mr. Polite."

"Okay, fine, I'll go first" Sophia's mouth dropped open at his rudeness. Before he could mutter a single spell she transformed his hair to a shade of pink.

"Better yet…" she said slyly. Suddenly, Draco went bald and his hands flew to his head His eyes widened as he realized his lack of hair. He glared at Sophia and he cast a spell in her direction. The next thing she knew her lips were so large they were drooping.

For the rest of class Draco and Sophia transformed each other's faces making each other look bizarre. By the end of class, they were no longer scoffing at one another, but exploding with laughter.

"Mr. Malfoy! Ms. Dune! What on _earth_ are you two doing?!" Sophia's hair was a bright shade of green and her chin protruded unattractively from her face. Draco's eyes were purple and his nose was unusually large. His neck was three inches longer than it should have been, and Sophia's ears were so large they flopped over. They looked up at Professor McGonagall and suppressed laughter.

"Sorry Professor…" Sophia giggled.

"Why are your transformations so ridiculous? What are you doing incorrectly? What is wrong with your wands?" she asked shockingly.

"Professor, our wands are fine. Our transformations came out like we wanted them too," Sophia replied smiling.

'Well, fix this mess! You two look completely absurd!" And Professor McGonagall stomped away, glancing back at the pair of them, and wondering what had gotten into Draco.

Sophia and Draco looked at each other and roared with laughter once again. Professor McGonagall glared in their direction and their faces went straight, but smiled again once she turned her back. Sophia's and Draco's anger had vanished during the class.

Sophia murmured, "What does she _expect_…us to perform _normal_ transformations? Look at everyone else! Ha ha!"

"What do you expect? McGonagall's barmy," Draco scoffed.

"What?" Sophia scowled. She soon forgot her frustration as she glimpsed at other pairs around the room. "Look at what Lavender is doing to poor Neville!" Neville's nostrils were almost as wide as his cheeks and his lips bulged like Sophia's had.

"Ha, I'm not surprised they're partners. Both gits," Draco jeered.

"Excuse me?"

Draco just stared at her.

"Don't just go around calling anyone a git, Draco! Neville and Lavender are _not _gits. Lavneder may be a little odd but she happens to be a very nice person. And Neville is intelligent and very kind. He just lacks confidence," Sophia defended.

"That doesn't mean they're not gits," Draco replied coolly.

"What is _wrong_ with you!?" Sophia spat. "You think you're better than everyone else? I should have known. I knew you were nasty but I thought you might have grown out of it," and Sophia got up and trudged back to her regular seat. She sat down and didn't say one word after that.

It didn't seem as though Draco didn't care, because he sat there with a pout on his face for the rest of class.


	4. A Change Of Heart

**Disclaimer: I do not own the plot, the world, the characters, or any other aspect of the series Harry Potter written by J.K. Rowling. I do copy exact words from "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and I admit I do not own the text. **

**This plotline was original but it falls in line with the plot line of the sixth book.**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

**A Change Of Heart**

* * *

Sophia's next few classes passed by quickly and lunchtime came around. She marched into the Great Hall, still livid from Transfiguration class, and started towards her house's table. Everyone was chattering softly and almost secretly. What had happened? 

"Did you hear?" Liza asked Sophia as she sat down.

"Hear what?"

"About Katie Bell?" Erin whispered.

"N…no. I don't think so." Sophia was utterly confused now.

"It happened yesterday but no one knew about it until today," Liza commented.

"Katie Bell received some sort of cursed necklace at Hogsmeade and doesn't remember who gave it to her!" explained Erin.

"What happened to her?!" Sophia exclaimed.

"She was moved into St. Mungo's Hospital! Gryffindor's Quidditch team is really upset because she can't play for a while," Liza moaned sympathetically.

"I heard that she was suspended into the air…someone said she looked like she was possessed…" Erin shivered.

"Oh no…" Sophia groaned. She listened in on more gossip and tales about the 'Katie Bell Incident'. It seemed as though no one knew who Katie was supposed to give the necklace too, and they couldn't ask her now because she was in St. Mungo's. Some say she might not even remember the whole thing.

Lunch was over and students trudged out of the Great Hall headed towards their next class. Sophia noticed Harry, Hermione, and Ron near by and had heard a rumor that they were their when the accident occurred. She wandered alongside them unnoticed.

"No one knows who Katie was supposed to give that horrid necklace too," Ron reported.

"Oh, and Malfoy knows, of course," Harry remarked. Ron and Hermione seemed to ignore Harry's comment. Sophia's eyebrows furrowed and she didn't know what Harry meant by that. Maybe Draco knew something? It wouldn't hurt to ask. The only problem was she was supposed to be angry with him.

There he was. How should she approach him? Well this was going to be awkward.

"Draco?" Her voice sounded funny for some reason.

He turned around to see who had said his name. He took one look at Sophia, and turned back around.

"Hey! Draco! I…look. I'm not going to say I'm sorry. I have nothing to be sorry about. If anyone needs to apologize it's you. I didn't come over here to ask for your forgiveness. I just had a question about the 'Katie Bell Incident'." He swiveled to stare at her and lost his balance, but he caught himself. He looked slightly alarmed.

"Why?"

"Well…I heard someone say that you knew what happened. And who the necklace was supposed to be for," she clarified.

"Why would I know anything about _that_?" he hissed. He seemed to be very irritated these days.

"You don't know anything about it? Oh...never mind then. Sorry for bothering you, I just heard that—"

"Well you heard wrong," he interrupted. He was glaring at her. She stared right back at him and he realized she really meant no harm. "Yah, whatever. It's alright." Sophia heard the change in his voice and smiled.

"So are you going to be at the match this weekend?" she said changing the subject and trying to sound more cheerful.

"Uh, yea I think so." He sounded unsure.

"You're the Seeker for Slytherin, aren't you?"

"Mhm."

"Oh, well good luck!" she said with a smile. She figured that if he wouldn't be nice, then she might as well try and be nice to him and see if he talks to her like a normal person. She began walking the other way.

"Who are you going to be rooting for?" he called after her. He was trying to continue their conversation; but why? Sophia thought he hated her.

"Uh, I don't really like to choose sides, sorry. But I do wish you luck," she said truthfully.

"Oh come on," he said beaming. He smiled. He was extremely angry before, but all of a sudden he lightened up.

"Fine. I'll secretly wish for Slytherin to win, okay?" she pronounced playfully.

"Alright, that's good enough," and he disappeared into the next hallway.

Sophia stood there, smiling to herself and proud that she had cheered him up. Then the smile disappeared as she thought about this some more. A couple of hours ago she had hated his guts because he was a disgusting person. But he was so kind to _her_. To make herself feel less guilty, she decided that she would force Draco to apologize for his comments about Lavender and Neville. She would talk to him after the Quidditch match. She _did_ secretly want his team to win. She shuddered.

What was wrong with her? She used to hate Slytherins! She shrugged her shoulders and strolled down the long corridor to her next class.


	5. Helping Hand

**Disclaimer: I do not own the plot, the world, the characters, or any other aspect of the series Harry Potter written by J.K. Rowling. I do copy exact words from "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and I admit I do not own the text. **

**This plotline was original but it falls in line with the plot line of the sixth book.**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

**Helping Hand**

* * *

Sophia woke Saturday morning ecstatic about the Quidditch match. She wasn't sure whether it was because she had had so much homework this past week and she was getting a break, or whether she was just excited to watch Draco play… 

The whole Hogwarts school worked its way down to the grounds and filed into the stadium. Everyone wore their house colors and screams of encouragement and boos could be heard from miles away. Sophia took a seat next to her friends and eagerly looked down at the field. First the Gryffindor team came out and one side of the stadium roared. The other part jeered and booed; the Slytherin part. Next the Slytherin team strode onto the playing field. Sophia's eyes darted from one player to the next, but Draco was no where to be found.

"Who are you looking for?" Hannah asked.

"Uh, no one. Just seeing who's on the new team," Sophia lied.

"Wow, two players are absent from the Slytherin team," Kelly pointed out.

"Vaisey is missing, and Malfoy too," Hannah stated. Sophia's heart sank and she wondered where he was. He said he was going to be here, didn't he?

"Liar," Sophia muttered.

"What Soph?" Kelly asked.

"Huh? Oh, nothing." The rest of the Quidditch game was dreary to Sophia because he wasn't playing, and the whole time she couldn't stop thinking about how much of a pillock he was. By the end of the game Sophia had become so irritated she almost punched Zacharias Smith in the face for being such an annoying commentator. He had not helped the situation much; he was just infuriating.

"Whoah! Hey! Watch yourself, Dune," Smith grumbled. Sophia simply glowered at him and he walked a little faster to get out of her reach. She stomped through the corridors fuming mad. Just wait until she got her hands on him. He was going to regret it.

She trudged up the moving staircases and into a corridor on the seventh floor. All of the Gryffindors were piling into their common room for a party. Once all of them were inside, it went silent. Sophia was alone at last. She walked over to one of the windows and sat down. She picked up her knees, brought them to her chest, and placed her feet carefully in front of her. Her head fell back delicately against the stone wall. It was peaceful at this spot and she began to calm down. She gazed out onto the Hogwarts grounds and a gentle breeze gusted through the window sending her hair in every direction. She flattened her hair and continued staring out.

"Hey." The sudden voice startled her and she almost fell out the window. Luckily she caught herself and balanced. She glimpsed up to see where the voice came from and there he stood, right in front of her. "Don't kill yourself," he snickered, making fun of her.

"What's your excuse _this_ time?" she sneered.

"I didn't feel well." Sophia just laughed. "I'm not lying to you. I wouldn't lie to you."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

He ignored her question and continued on, "I don't have to explain anything to anyone, especially you." His demeanor had suddenly turned and the mockery was back in his voice. She observed his face and his eyes were sunken and bloodshot. His complexion was pale and he looked fragile.

"What happened?" she said, her voice full of worry now.

"Nothing really. I feel better now," he said hastily. "Tell me about the match," he insisted, changing the subject. "Gryffindor's lose?" he scoffed.

"I wasn't really paying attention all that much."

"Why not?"

"Because you weren't playing so it was boring," she admitted. His cheeks suddenly didn't look as pale as they were before.

"Oh…" he trailed off. He covered up with, "Well I'm assuming Gryffindor won because of all the noise I just heard up here." Sophia nodded, then asked,

"Yea, that reminds me. Where did you come from? I didn't even hear you."

"I'm stealthy," he said with a smirk. "I'm just that good."

"Conceitedness, that's a good sign. You must be feeling better all ready!" she joked.

"Sure." Sophia's head slightly tilted to the side.

"How can I help you?"

"Nothing."

"There must be something."

"Not really."

"Please. Let me help you," she begged. She realized she sounded pathetic.

"Oh wait, there is one thing. Do you have any ingredients to make a polyjuice potion?" Sophia exploded with laughter. "What?"

"HA! HA! You mean for Crabbe?!" she giggled.

"What?!" He seemed frightened.

"I didn't mean to scare you, though the thought scares me. Ha, well a couple of days ago my friends saw Crabbe transform from a little girl back to his regular self. We couldn't figure out why he would use a polyjuice potion to look like _that_, unless someone tricked him." Draco took this as his chance to escape suspicion.

"Ha ha, yea. I snuck it to him as a joke. He didn't find it funny, but I sure did. I was just afraid he had told someone. I wouldn't expect him to, but you never know."

Still giggling Sophia answered, "Yea I think I might have some ingredients. My Aunt Alice works at a shop in Diagon Alley where they sell all sorts of weird things for potions. I'm sure I can get her to send me some knotgrass and boomslang skin. I know she definitely has that in stock."

"Alright then." He smiled.

"Your welcome Draco." She smiled back at him. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I…yea, I'm fine."

"Okay, well see you around." He nodded and walked off. Sophia felt like her insides were going to burst. He smiled at her. She loved it when he did that. He looked so kind and gentle. She wished he would smile all the time. It would make him seem so much nicer. But she knew he wasn't all that nice to everyone. Oh. Shoot. She never convinced him to apologize. She had forgotten all about that!

"Drac—oh bloody hell, he's already gone."


	6. Wandering

**Disclaimer: I do not own the plot, the world, the characters, or any other aspect of the series Harry Potter written by J.K. Rowling. I do copy exact words from "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and I admit I do not own the text. **

**This plotline was original but it falls in line with the plot line of the sixth book.**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

**Wandering**

* * *

Sophia immediately sprinted to the owl tower and feverishly looked around for Jack. Owls flooded the room, but Jack was easy enough to find because he was a snowy white owl. Jack was perched on a wooden limb next to Hedwig, Harry's snowy owl. 

"Oh, got yourself a girlfriend, have we Jack?" Sophia giggled. She was in such a joyful mood because whenever she talked to Draco she felt full of life. She was starting to like him so much she didn't care to think about if it was a good thing to like him or not. She took out a small scroll of parchment, a bottle of ink, and a quill to write a letter to her Aunt Alice. She sat herself on the floor, watching out for owl droppings, and began to write.

_Dear Alice,_

_I was wondering if you could send me some beetles' eyes and boomslang skin from your shop. I might also need some knotgrass. I'm running low on supplies. Ask my mom for some of my money. She'll know where to find it in my bedroom. Thanks so much! I miss you and I'll see you at Christmas!_

_Love, Soph♥_

Sophia had added that extra ingredient in there to make it less suspicious that the ingredients were for a Polyjuice Potion. She rolled the piece of parchment and tied it to Jack's leg. She fed him a treat and told him to try and go quickly if he could. She hoped it wouldn't take _too_ long. Security was pretty high and the Ministry of Magic checked every owl, and so did Hogwarts. Jack flew off into the air and soon disappeared behind the clouds. Sophia sighed, happy that she was able to help Draco, and set off towards her common room.

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Two days had passed by, and within those few days not much had happened. Sophia had talked small talk with Draco a bit more and informed him that his ingredients were on the way. He smiled every time he saw Sophia. The only problem was that he looked even paler, if that was even possible, and more exhausted than ever before. Sophia decided not to mention her observations to him because she didn't want to upset or worry him.

Rachel Rabirts had invited Sophia to a Christmas Party that was being hosted by Professor Slughorn, and Sophia gladly accepted. She knew a few people who were going and it was something to do, so she figured why not? She didn't want to ask Draco if he was going because it might offend him if he wasn't invited. She didn't want to ask anyone else if he was going because that would be peculiar and obvious. So she settled for just secretly hoping that he would attend Slughorn's party.

The party was tomorrow and Sophia wanted to get the last of her homework done and over with before break. She sat in the library near the table where she had first talked to him. Every few minutes or so, she would glance up from her book to see if he had come into the library, but never found him. Her feelings were beginning to scare her a bit, because all she could think about lately was seeing Draco and talking to Draco. Everything reminded her of Draco.

Harry Potter and Hermione Granger were sitting a few tables away from her and looked as though they were in deep conversation. She was unable to hear what they were discussing but didn't really mind because she was deep in thought about Draco. She was just wondering when the ingredients from her aunt would come in when Hermione sighed and started talking a little more loudly.

"Look," and Hermione turned to face Harry directly. "Secrecy Sensors detect jinxes, curses, and concealment charms, don't they? They're used to find Dark Magic and Dark objects. They'd have picked up a powerful curse, like the one on that necklace, within seconds. But something that's just been put in the wrong bottle wouldn't register – and anyway, love potions aren't Dark or dangerous —"

Harry mumbled something that was inaudible to Sophia.

"—so it would be down to Filch to realize it wasn't a cough potion, and he's not a very good wizard, I doubt he can tell one potion from —" She stopped. They all sat up and listened. Sophia had heard the noise too, somewhere between the book shelves. Madam Pince emerged from around the corner, began talking to Harry, and then started yelling odd things like "Despoiled! Desecrated! Befouled!" Sophia left hastily before she got dragged into the mess.

Who had been listening in? Harry and Hermione had assumed it was Madam Pince, but Sophia knew it wasn't. Madam Pince came around the corner on Sophia's left. The noise came from her right, in between the pair and herself. They obviously couldn't tell the difference because the noise and Madam Pince came from the same direction. But Sophia knew better.

Why were Harry and Hermione talking about smuggling items into the school anyways? They had mentioned the necklace; the one Katie Bell had touched. Sophia shuddered and was thankful yet again that she wasn't the victim.

Sophia didn't get a good night's sleep that night because all she could think about was the noise in the shelves.

The next day had gone by slowly, because there were so many things Sophia was thinking about. Her mind was racing and her head was spinning. It was hard for her to concentrate in her classes. Finally eight o' clock rolled around and she met up with Rachel and they hiked to Slughorn's office. As they entered through the door they noticed the crimson, gold, and emerald decorations hanging from the walls and ceilings. Singing could be heard in the distance. They greeted Professor Slughorn and grabbed a snack from the table filled with all kinds of food.

Sophia's eyes were moving rapidly back and forth across the room looking for _him_. He was no where to be found. She saw Harry and Luna enter but paid no attention to them. Cormac McLaggen wandered aimlessly around the office as though he was looking for someone. Hermione Granger weaved in between people rapidly as though she was avoiding someone. House elves fought their way through the crowds and chatter filled the air. Sophia sighed as she realized he probably wasn't coming or wasn't invited.

"What's up Soph?" Rachel asked, her voice full of concern.

"Hm? Oh, nothing. Just seeing who's here. Who should we go talk to?"

"Oh, Steven is over there with Katie Oswood, come on," and Rachel pulled Sophia's arm and Sophia didn't fight her.

Steven, Katie, Rachel, and Sophia talked for about ten minutes, and then Sophia's heart leapt. Draco had come at last! But he was being dragged in by Filch, who was yanking him by the ear. Sophia told her friends that she would be right back. She informed them that she was going over to the table to get something to eat. It was partially true. She was going over to the table, but not to get food; to eavesdrop.

"I discovered this boy lurking in an upstairs corridor. He claims to have been invited to your party and to have been delayed in setting out. Did you issue him with an invitation?" Filch sneered. Draco freed himself from Flich's grasp and he was livid.

"All right, I wasn't invited! I was trying to gatecrash, happy?" Draco admitted crossly.

"No, I'm not!" Filch replied. "You're in trouble, you are! Didn't the headmaster say that nighttime prowling's out, unless you've got permission, didn't he, eh?" Slughorn waved Filch off and told him Draco was welcome to stay at the party. Filch stomped off mumbling to himself under his breath, and Sophia noticed Draco didn't look to happy. Professor Snape wasn't all that happy either. He looked almost anxious. She could tell from Harry's expression that he was observing the same things she was.

Draco forced a smile and thanked Professor Slughorn but Sophia wasn't listening. She was examining Harry and he was staring at Draco, looking a little taken aback. Sophia knew what was confusing Harry. It was the fact that Draco seemed sick and looked as though he hadn't gotten one night of good rest. Professor Snape suddenly spoke and Sophia broke out of her trance, as did Harry.

"I'd like a word with you, Draco."

"Oh, now, Severus. It's Christmas, don't be too hard —" Professor Slughorn objected.

"I'm his Head of House, and I shall decide how hard, or otherwise, to be. Follow me, Draco." Snape headed for the exit and Draco spotted Sophia and they caught each other's eye for a moment. He turned around and trudged off bitterly with Snape out of Slughorn's office and into the hallway. Sophia stared after them and looked back to where Harry had been standing. He was gone. Where did he go? He was here just a second ago. Sophia was awfully irritated but decided she could ask Draco what had happened later. She walked back to her group of friends and they didn't notice that she had taken a bit too long.

The rest of the night Sophia lay in her bed wondering what Draco was doing wandering in the corridors at night. She realized the next day she would be going home for Christmas and she wouldn't have the chance to talk to him. She wasn't just irritated now. She was absolutely furious.

"Bloody hell."


	7. Sophia's Theory

**Disclaimer: I do not own the plot, the world, the characters, or any other aspect of the series Harry Potter written by J.K. Rowling. I do copy exact words from "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and I admit I do not own the text. **

**This plotline was original but it falls in line with the plot line of the sixth book.**

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

**Sophia's Theory**

* * *

Sophia was home for the rest of vacation and even though she saw Draco in the Great Hall for the goodbye breakfast she didn't get a chance to talk to him. She couldn't talk to him on the train because he was a prefect and was in the prefect cabin for the majority of the time. She laughed silently to herself as she remembered him being a prefect. She thought that was quite odd.

It was Christmas Day and Jon, Sophia's father, had the video camera in his hand taping Sophia as she sat on the living room floor and placed her glass of cold eggnog on the coffee table. Elaine, Sophia's mother, was smiling broadly and handed a gift from underneath the tree to Sophia.

"Dad, you _really_ don't have to tape this," Sophia groaned.

"Yes I do! I have taped every Christmas ever since you were little! Now go on, open your gifts!" he replied goofily. Sophia rolled her eyes and smiled. Her Dad was so insane.

Sophia was an only child, which was something she had in common with Draco. No! Don't think about him, it's Christmas and your mind should be totally focused on the moment and on your family. Don't think about Draco again.

Of course, through the week, it was a failed attempt.

Once the unwrapping of gifts was over, Sophia, Jon, and Elaine went to visit the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins of the family. Most of Sophia's cousins were younger than her because her father and mother were both the eldest of their families. She sadly admitted to herself that she would rather be at Hogwarts with her friends rather than here with her baby cousins and the absence of magic.

Sophia was only half present at the time, because the other half of her was wandering off thinking about Draco.

The rest of the week passed by slowly for Sophia, and she couldn't send a letter to Draco for fear that he would think her desperate. (Also the fact that his parents would hound him for information on "this Sophia girl".) That was the first time Sophia had thought about Draco's parents and she mentioned this fact to Carolyn on the way back to school on the Hogwarts express.

"His parents…hm. I wonder what they're like. Do you think they're nice?" Sophia pondered.

"Um, Soph, incase you have forgotten, let me remind you that his father is in Azkaban for being a Death Eater!" Carolyn shouted in a whispery tone.

"WHAT?" Sophia shrieked. The others in the cabin all turned and scowled. She shrunk into her seat and repeated in a hushed shout, "What!?"

"Lucius Malfoy is a Death Eater and he was brought to Azkaban at the end of our fifth year! Don't you remember? The newspapers and whatnot?"

"Oh man…I remember now…" Sophia had forgotten all about that. How could she forget? Poor Draco…that must be hard to deal with…

Something snapped in Sophia's mind.

"MERLIN'S CHEST HAIR!" Everyone in the cabin turned to glare at her again.

"Sorry…" she whispered.

"What?" Carolyn asked.

"Uh, nothing, I just remembered and now I'm disappointed. That's all," Sophia lied. Carolyn raised an eyebrow at Sophia but soon ignored Sophia's hasty lie.

Something had just clicked for Sophia. Draco and his "secret"! His problem that he had been crying about in the library! It all had to do with his Dad!

All the way back to the school Sophia had been thinking up different scenarios and problems that Draco might have revolving around Lucius. Maybe he was trying to get his Dad out of Azkaban, or maybe Draco wanted to talk to his Father but the ministry wouldn't let him! (Damn Ministry. She was so mad at this point, Sophia wished them all dead.)

Sophia couldn't wait to talk to him, and she also had received the ingredients from her Aunt. She had gotten them on Christmas Day because Aunt Alice figured it would have taken longer if she had sent them by owl and Sophia would already have come home by then. Sophia loved her Aunt Alice, because she was the closest person she could relate to about magic in her family. Aunt Alice had married her mother's brother, so they weren't related directly, but there was still a strong connection between them because of their abilities. Sometimes her parents just didn't understand because they…

"Draco!" Her thoughts were interrupted the moment she laid eyes on him in the Great Hall. Everyone was just arriving, so no one was really paying any attention, so she figured this was a good time. "Here! The ingredients you asked for," and Sophia handed him the parcel. He took out a handful of sickles and galleons and asked how much it all cost. Sophia pushed his hand away and replied, "Happy Christmas." She thought she saw him crack a smile, but he instantly said he had to go talk to Crabbe and Goyle about something important and left to go to his House's table. Draco left and sat down in between Crabbe and Goyle and started jeering at a second year from Hufflepuff. Sophia's eyes narrowed and a strong dislike for Draco swam through her veins. Maybe you could call it hate. But can you really love and hate someone simultaneously?

Sophia lay in her bed thinking through her theory over and over again. It made perfect sense, and it concerned his father who was in jail, and anyone would cry over that; even Draco Malfoy. That's what she assumed, and she was even more determined now to find out the truth and to help Draco in any way possible. Whatever his predicament was, Sophia would let him now that she would always be there to help him out. Her theory had to be true, and it was the only one she could come up with since she had seen him crying in the library.

Sophia muttered to herself, "I mean, come on. What else could Draco possibly cry about?"


	8. Blinded

**Disclaimer: I do not own the plot, the world, the characters, or any other aspect of the series Harry Potter written by J.K. Rowling. I do copy exact words from "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and I admit I do not own the text. **

**This plotline was original but it falls in line with the plot line of the sixth book.**

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

**Blinded**

* * *

She was scowling at Sophia and Sophia hadn't even done anything wrong! She had only been talking to Draco and helping him out with a Polyjuice Potion. (Which, by the way, he hasn't said thank you to her yet.) Sophia wished that Pansy would just leave her the bloody hell alone. 

She tried ignoring her and focused on her Charms test…

…yet she couldn't help but look over her shoulder once more.

Yup, still glaring.

Sophia was about to lean over and tell Maggie about Pansy but she decided she shouldn't. They were in the middle of a test, and besides, Maggie looked like she was on a roll and she didn't want to take her attention away from Charms. Maggie had actually taught Sophia a really neat charm that not a lot of underage wizards can do. The Disillusionment Charm which concealed you and blended you into the background. Sophia had tried it once and _almost_ got it. Her lower half had still been completely visible…

Everyone bustled out of the room once the test was finished and Sophia took this moment to say to Maggie,

"Pansy needs to calm down a bit, don't you think?"

"I wasn't going to tell you this, but I overheard Pansy talking to Millicent…and she was talking nonsense, and saying nasty things about you. I was this close to having a bit of a row with her," Maggie answered, indicating with her fingers how close to fighting Pansy she was.

Sophia and Maggie continued down the corridor and Maggie vanished into a different hallway heading for Herbology. Sophia couldn't believe Pansy. Draco wasn't _hers_. He didn't belong to _anyone_. How could she be such a berk?

Uh oh. Sophia rarely ever called _anyone_ a berk. Had Draco's attitude rubbed off on her?

No. Sophia wouldn't let someone else influence her way of thinking.

But this time the person really did deserve to be called a berk.

So it was alright.

"Sophia." She whipped around and spotted Draco a few feet away from her. She smiled at him and strolled over. "Here." He handed her a small vial that contained some sort of liquid. "This is for the Polyjuice Potion ingredients. I had some extra potion."

Sophia's eyes brightened as she replied with, "Thank you very much!" She took it gratefully as he told her,

"It can't be used for another month, and it's not a lot, but it'll last for about ten minutes. It'll be like a trial, an experiment."

"Oh, hell, anything is nice. I don't care how much there is or how long it lasts. This is very generous."

"Yea, well, I'll see you later."

"Okay, goodbye." He looked as though he was ready to break down at any second. Was he on the verge of tears? He started to turn as Sophia abruptly said, "Don't give up hope." She didn't know what possessed her to say it, but it just came out. He whisked around and stared her right into the eyes and bellowed with outrage,

"What!?"

"I…I was just telling you to not give up hope. On your problem…you looked as though you might break out into tears and I thought maybe you were giving up—"

"I don't know what the bloody hell you're talking about." He glowered at her and continued on, "I don't have a problem. And I don't need your help. Or anyone's for that matter." Sophia gawked at him as he added, "You're pathetic." He trudged down the corridor, angrier than before, and Sophia's eyes glazed over, her mouth dropped ever so slightly, closed again, and she sauntered off glassy-eyed.

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Great. This was just great. He had given her some of his polyjuice potion, and she has to go and make him furious.

"I'm bloody brilliant," she muttered to herself before downing her butter beer. Everyone around her was laughing and eating away, but she sat there with a pout feeling bad about what she had done.

"What was that?" asked Charlotte.

"Nothing…" Actually, Sophia hadn't really done anything at all if you think about it. She had just told him to not give up and to have hope. Oh. Maybe he thought she was butting into his business again. Well, he could be a little more understanding. Ha. Yea right.

She peeked over at the Slytherin table and located Draco sitting with Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy, Millicent, and Zabini. They were all laughing as Draco told a story, which Sophia couldn't hear, and his face was showing mockery and haughtiness. Sophia stifled a moan and turned around to face her friends again. She couldn't and didn't talk to them much during dinner. All she could think about was that prat, Draco.

She didn't even know he existed during their first year at Hogwarts. Her second year she started hearing stories about a certain Slytherin boy who was the new seeker on the Quidditch team. She had been told he was a bully, and heard very few tales about him because her friends didn't bother to even think of him. Neither did she, not knowing who he was and all. But that day in the library she spotted him crying and for some reason it caught her off guard. The boy she had always been hearing about and seeing not too often, who supposedly was awfully nasty and not sensitive at all, was crying.

This intrigued her and she became interested to know what was wrong. He, being who he is, ignored her offer of help and told her nothing and denied all that she said. He told her he wasn't crying, and that he didn't have an issue. Of course, she didn't believe it at all.

The thing she didn't understand the most, was why she was falling for him; for _him_. He was the biggest git, the nastiest prat she had ever met, yet she felt _sorry_ for him. She shouldn't, but she couldn't help it. She wanted to help him, wanted to see him succeed. Maybe, she thought, that if she helped him succeed, he wouldn't be as foul as he was now.

Like _that_ was ever going to happen.

But then _why_ was he _crying_?

"Ugh, Draco Malfoy, you are _so_ _confusing_!"


	9. Confession

**Disclaimer: I do not own the plot, the world, the characters, or any other aspect of the series Harry Potter written by J.K. Rowling. I do copy exact words from "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and I admit I do not own the text. **

**This plotline was original but it falls in line with the plot line of the sixth book.**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Nine**

**Confession**

* * *

Months had gone by. There was silence from Draco. Sophia's heart was breaking. 

They didn't talk to one another, nor look at one another. Sophia had done nothing wrong but offer her assistance and he had taken it the wrong way. He was so defensive, almost insecure…

Sophia had become distant, distant from everything and everyone. She barely talked to her friends, and they became concerned for her. They tried getting her to reveal what was bugging her, but she never told a soul. She could hardly admit it to herself. Her health took a bad turn, and she soon became as ashen as Draco. She never had a decent sleep and ate less and less. She told herself it was stupid to grieve and agonize over such a trivial thing. But she couldn't help herself. She loved him. And she hated herself for doing so.

Sophia blocked out all conversation around her, and never bothered to listen in on common room gossip. Not until she heard his name mentioned. Along with the word 'hospital wing'.

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"Draco?"

"Yes!"

"No…you're lying."

"I swear I'm not!"

"That can NOT be true!"

"It is! Harry Potter did it!"

"I've never even _heard_ of that spell."

"No one has. He must have learned it from a dark wizard or some dark book or something."

"Wow."

"It was his own fault. He brought it upon himself ya know."

"Bloody hell. I can't believe it."

"It was quite the row. Completely destroyed the bathroom."

"Who started it?"

"Yea? You say he brought it upon himself, but who made the first move?"

"I think he did."

"Really? Seems like a thing he _would _do."

"Did he get into trouble?"

"Well, I don't know. He's in the hospital wing right now."

"He probably will be in trouble when he gets out."

"But is he hurt bad?"

"From what I've heard, Snape came just in time."

"People say that Harry was kneeling by his side! He must've felt bad about it."

"Maybe he didn't know what he was doing, or the damage he would do."

"Yea, he is a pretty truthful guy. But who knows? Maybe he _meant_ to do what he did. I mean, Malfoy eggs him on all the time. I bet he was just fed up with Malfoy's shite."

At the first drop of his name she had stopped her wallowing and listened in on the mob of voices whispering rapidly. At least, they were attempting to whisper, but they gradually just got louder.

Draco was in the hospital wing because of a spell Harry Potter cast. But what spell? Apparently a spell that no one knew of and no one knew what it was either. Harry and Snape must have made a deal not to tell anyone so it can't be used anymore than it already had been. Once was enough.

Draco was hurt. But Sophia didn't care. She couldn't give a rat's arse.

"He was hurt pretty bad. The spell makes you just start bleeding! Snape had to use some sort of jinx or chant to fix up most of it or Draco wouldn't have made it to the hospital wing…"

"That's _horrible_!"

"Eh, he deserves it the prat!"

"No one deserves THAT! Unless you're You-Know-Who!"

Sophia suddenly felt a pang of guilt. He had almost died? That couldn't be possible. Harry wouldn't know of a spell that bad…or use it.

"They won't let anyone see him."

"Really? That's quite sad."

"Not even his best friends."

"What about his parents?"

"I dunno. Snape seems to try to be hushing it all up. I s'ppose Malfoy's parents don't even know."

"Well they _should_ know!"

"Maybe Malfoy doesn't want them to know either."

"He _is _the one who started it all…"

"Yea, maybe he just wants to avoid getting into trouble."

"That would be typical of him."

Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let anyone see him? Sophia had to see this for herself.

She stood up and raced out of the common room. Only a few people noticed she had left in a hurry and were surprised by her sudden burst of energy, since she had been sullen for the past few months. Sophia dashed through the corridors and after three full minutes of sprinting she stopped dead in front of the entrance to the hospital wing. Her chest heaved up and down as she gasped for breath. She knocked on Madam Pomfrey's office door and she answered with, "Hello Ms. Dune!"

"Hello Madam Pomfrey. I was just wondering if I could see Draco please," she said hastily.

"Well, I'm sorry dear, but no one is allowed to see Mr. Malfoy at the moment. He is in a very bad condition and I just can't allow any visitors right now. When he gets better I will inform you at once."

"I…" but she decided not to protest because it would be of no use. "Thank you Madam." Sophia walked back to the girls' dormitories and tried to fall asleep, but she was to no avail.

Several days passed by and nothing exciting happened. Harry had received detentions for the rest of the year therefore could not play in the final Quidditch match against Ravenclaw. Gryffindor had won the match against Sophia's house and achieved the Quidditch Cup. Sophia had not played horribly, but certainly did not perform her best during the game. Quidditch was the least of her worries.

She sat underneath a tree that sat on the edge of the lake. This was her favorite spot for when she wanted to be left alone. For the past few days she was worried about Draco, and at the same time worried that she had become a bad person for doing so. She settled silently against the large oak tree, her mind wandering off. She allowed her head to fall backwards, resting against the bark, and she closed her eyes. She exhaled a deep sigh and suddenly a branch snapped and footsteps could be heard a few yards away. Sophia propped her head up and looked towards the direction the noise came from.

There, walking straight towards her, still a bit bloody and scars here and there, was Draco Malfoy. Coming to see _her_. Sophia couldn't make sense of his arrival but she didn't care. She shot up, lunged at him, and thrust her arms around his neck. He staggered backwards but regained his balance. He placed his arms gently around her back. She squeezed hard, never wanting to let go, and managed to whimper, "I'm so glad you're okay!" Her voice was weak and shaky, but she didn't care. She didn't have a care in the world right now.

"I…I'm fine." He seemed so much more sensitive. Or maybe she was imagining it. Maybe he wasn't even really here and he was still up in the hospital wing. Maybe she had gone mad…"Sophia?"

"Hm?" She looked up into his face. Did he get taller?

"Look…I don't say this often…at all actually," he stammered. Sophia knew exactly what he was going to say. A smile spread across her face before he even said it. "I'm sorry."

As the words came out of his mouth, she propped herself onto her toes and kissed on the cheek. His pallid face blushed and his gray eyes gazed into her coffee-colored eyes. She pressed her face into his chest and they stood there soundless for a few minutes. He lifted her head with his hands and tears were streaming down her face. The spot where her face had been was dark and sodden. He let his hands fall to his sides and he leaned against the oak tree. He let himself gradually fall to the ground. Sophia gracefully sat herself next to him, but didn't dare utter a word, for fear that it might break their bond and cause him to be enraged again and leave her flustered once more.

"I really am." He had broken the silence. He wasn't going to get angry again. But she didn't have a response to that. She wanted to tell him what an arse he had been and how much he had hurt her, but she again resisted the temptation. "I didn't want help from anyone. I wanted to do it on my own. But I…I can't. I told this to somebody else—"

"Who?" The question popped out of her mouth before she could stop it. She hadn't meant to interrupt him. She held her breath, and he sighed.

"Moaning Myrtle. Potter overheard me talking to her. I saw him and got so furious. I tried to curse him but I missed. We kept shooting jinxes and spells at each other for a whole minute. Then…well I'm sure you now what happened."

"What…" Sophia hesitated before asking, but continued on, "…spell did he use?"

"Sectumsempra." Sophia gaped at him in confusion. "I don't know where he learned it, and I don't think he knew what it was going to do." Sophia hardly cared about the spell and where Harry had learned it. She just wanted to know what Draco had been talking to Moaning Myrtle about.

"So, what were you telling Myrtle?"

"The same things I just told you." Sophia simply stared at him. "I can't do it. I shouldn't have blown you off like that. You offered to help and…I just got angry because I knew there was nothing you _could_ do."

"I want to help."

"Even after the things I said to you?"

"Yes."

"Bloody hell, you're unbelievable."

"Am I?"

"You're bloody nuts."

"Thank you."

"That's another thing I should have said a long time ago. Thanks."

"Your welcome." Sophia couldn't believe what she was hearing. Draco Malfoy was apologizing, and now thanking her? "What caused your sudden change of heart?"

"I'm giving up. And there is no point pretending anymore that I can do it. Because I can't. So there's no use trying—"

"—Do what?"

"I can't tell you that."

"Yes you can." He stared at her, his gray ices piercing her heart. "Well, let me just tell you something. Don't give up. Giving up will show that you are weak. I know how you loathe weakness. Not to mention giving up is pathetic." Draco's face contorted as the words came from her mouth. "See?" He nodded in agreement. "So don't surrender. Don't withdraw. Push forward. Continue. I know you can, and I know this sounds so corny. I probably sound like a git right now."

"No," he stated bluntly. Sophia wanted to kiss him again. And again. And again.

"Please. Don't."

"But I—"

"Draco." They stared at each other. Sophia felt as though she could not stop encouraging him until he agreed to persist. "Please. You won't fail. I promise."

"That's a big promise."

"I don't care."

"Okay."

He was giving in to her!

"I'll…try."

She did it!

"But only because you are irritating me." Sophia's smile twisted upside down and Draco laughed. But he wasn't snickering at her; it was an innocent, light-hearted laugh. "I'm only joking Sophia. Don't take things so seriously."

"Well it's a bit rough ever since you pronounced me pathetic." Draco's face went cold. His body was tense, and his eyes full of regret.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"It's okay." She stood up and held out her hand. He took it and hauled himself up. She laid her delicate lips on his cheek for a second time. "Good luck. And please."

"I know." They stared at one another and a silent goodbye was passed between them.

That night was the happiest sleep Sophia had had in eight months.


	10. Unfriendly Encounter

**Disclaimer: I do not own the plot, the world, the characters, or any other aspect of the series Harry Potter written by J.K. Rowling. I do copy exact words from "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and I admit I do not own the text. **

**This plotline was original but it falls in line with the plot line of the sixth book.**

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

**Unfriendly Encounter**

* * *

"Hi," Sophia welcomed Draco as he walked by her seat. 

"Hey," he smiled back. Sophia's heart fluttered and her stomach did a back flip. Draco still looked as unhealthy as ever, but at least he was a little more hopeful. Sophia just wishes that he won't lose that hope and give up again.

"Alright class," Professor McGonagall announced as she started class. Sophia tried to limit her day dreaming and focus on Transfiguration class, but she couldn't help herself. Every now and then she would think about Draco and contemplate another way to help him.

Class was dismissed and Sophia began gathering up her things as Draco approached her desk. His face scrunched up as he said to her, "I know I promised I wouldn't give up—"

"No!" Draco did not look taken aback, as a matter of fact, he seemed as though he expected this reaction. "Draco, no! You promised! And I'm not letting you give up," Sophia said determinedly.

"Ha ha!" He laughed, but Sophia only stood there baffled. "You're too easy to fool. You're no fun." Her face lit up with joy and she playfully slapped his arm. Ron Weasley walked by eyeing Draco with a look on his face that said 'What the blooming hell is wrong with you?' Draco immediately scowled at him and his face was serious once he turned to face Sophia again.

"People must be wondering why you're being so nice," she said, interrupting the silence. She still had the playful gleam in her eye.

"Yea, well it's none of their business," he muttered.

Sophia giggled at his sudden change in mood, and was no longer afraid of his abrupt temper. She knew that he wanted to come off as a 'tough guy' and couldn't do that if he was laughing with some Ravenclaw girl. She understood his insecurities, and that was her next goal before the end of the year; to abolish them.

"If it's that hard to fix the problem, then I'm going to help you."

"Your help is not needed."

"Well, I'm sick and tired of sitting around and doing nothing."

"You don't do 'nothing'. You help a lot."

"Yes, I help by blabbing constantly about persistence and not surrendering. What a big help that is," Sophia grumbled.

"You may not realize it, but you do help me Sophia," he said as the kindness filled his eyes once more. Sophia couldn't stop gazing into them. They weren't the usual cold, hard, dark gray they usually were. They were a lighter, softer tone of gray, reminding her of winter. The season the year was entering when they first met.

"Okay. As long as you say so, I trust you," a smile spreading across her blushed cheeks.

"That might not be the best thing," Draco mumbled.

"What?" Sophia had heard what he said, but didn't fully understand what he meant by it.

"It's alright. You have nothing to worry about." Sophia grinned. The room was completely empty now with the exception of Professor McGonagall sitting behind her desk. Draco continued on, "Alright I'm going to be late for class." He headed for the exit as Sophia said so that no one could hear but him,

"You're a lot nicer once ya get to know you." He was puzzled at this statement and Sophia couldn't decipher whether her comment made him thankful or regretful for being a good person. He said goodbye and walked out.

"Oh well, it was worth a try. He'll get used to it."

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Sophia's next class was not far from where she was, so she decided she had enough time to stop by the bathroom.

She left the stall and nearly skipped to the sink. Feeling cheerful was so much better than feeling miserable. She rubbed her hands, spreading the foamy soap everywhere, and submerged them underneath the hot water pouring from the spout. She was drying them just as she heard a light footstep on the tile floor. She glanced upwards into the mirror and saw Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode standing at the doorway.

As Sophia's eyes locked in place with Pansy's, she instantly felt as though she was reenacting Draco's encounter with Harry Potter. The only difference was that Harry had no intention of hurting Draco, he had merely been curious. Pansy, on the other hand, looked ready to kill Sophia.

"Oh hey Pansy!" Sophia said in her usual happy-go-lucky voice.

"Oh, shut it Dune." Pansy grimaced as she said Sophia's name.

"What do you want?" Sophia asked, trying with difficulty to stay calm.

"I think you know what I want," Pansy hissed. She reminded Sophia of Draco when he had been angry. Did all Slytherins hiss like that when they got frustrated?

"I'm afraid I don't." It was easier to stay calm all of a sudden. The thought of Draco had given Sophia more confidence. Pansy seemed so small and insignificant to her now.

"Don't be smart with me, Dune."

"My name is Sophia, Pansy." It was almost like a game to Sophia. She was enjoying mocking Pansy.

"Don't you talk to her like that," Millicent butt in. She had grown to be quite tall and still built strong. But Sophia still did not feel the least intimidated.

"I don't think I am talking offensively, Millicent. I am simply using your names." Sophia smirked. Pansy and Millicent were annoyed by Sophia's snide remarks, and looked as though they would kill her any second.

"He doesn't belong to you, Dune, so keep away," Pansy warned.

"May I ask who we are talking about?" Pansy's face turned a bright red.

"You know who the bloody hell we're talking about!" she shrieked.

"There's no need to shout Pansy."

"Quit it!" Millicent bellowed.

"Pansy, you speak of Draco as though he is a piece of property. He is his own person, and he doesn't belong to anyone. Especially to you." The next thing that happened was a blur to Sophia.

Pansy had had her wand in her hand but concealed beneath her cloak. She whipped it out and screamed, "Crucio!" Sophia instinctively dodged and fell to the floor. The spell hit the mirror and it broke into a million pieces.

"Bad luck for seven years!" Sophia howled, ridiculing Pansy. Why the bloody Merlin would Sophia be making sarcastic comments at a moment like this? She couldn't understand it herself.

She then realized that she had dodged Pansy's spell instead of taking out her wand and simply using—

"PROTEGO!" Sophia had shielded herself just in time. That was Pansy's second blast of the Cruciatus Curse, and Sophia had evaded the attack again.

"INCARCEROUS!" Pansy cried, and ropes appeared and were diving towards Sophia as she screamed once again,

"PROTEGO!" The ropes hit an invisible force and rebounded. They flew towards Millicent now, and she attempted to yell the protecting charm but was too slow. The ropes bound her and she crashed to the floor with a thunderous boom. With Pansy's attention now on the newly constrained Millicent, Sophia yelled,

"STUPEFY!" and it hit Pansy square in the face. She fell to the floor with a less deafening explosion, and was unconscious.

"Oops." Sophia stumbled upward and staggered forward to see the damage she had done. Millicent was struggling with the ropes that were in her mouth, preventing her from roaring at Sophia. Pansy lay there on the floor, her eyes frozen and vacant.

"My bad."


	11. Happy Belated Christmas

**Disclaimer: I do not own the plot, the world, the characters, or any other aspect of the series Harry Potter written by J.K. Rowling. I do copy exact words from "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and I admit I do not own the text. **

**This plotline was original but it falls in line with the plot line of the sixth book.**

**Chapter Eleven**

**Happy Belated Christmas**

* * *

Sophia was confident that she wasn't to blame for the accident. Plus, she hadn't really done anything _hurtful_ to Pansy or Millicent, like the Cruciatus Curse. She thought she had explained her case well. 

Professor Flitwick and Professor Snape told her she was free to go, and she was happy to. She left the room hearing Flitwick and Snape bickering and having a bit of a row. There had been two bathroom incidents in a span of two months, but what did Sophia care? She had taken care of Pansy and Millicent and was excited to tell Draco of the news. She wanted to know what he had to say about 'Pansy The Prat'.

Draco was not Pansy's. And he wasn't Sophia's either. She wanted to get that point clearly across to Pansy, and she was unsure of whether she succeeded or not. She figured Pansy didn't understand because she attacked Sophia. (And ended up stupefied, heh.)

"Wow. Is it true, did Pansy really jump you like that?" Draco asked concerned yet amused at the same time.

"Yup. She really is awful Draco. I don't know how you ever put up with her at the Yule Ball…" Sophia shivered.

"Ha, well she isn't that bad. Well, I mean she doesn't go around shooting the Cruciatus Curse at me."

"But she's there so why not use her," Sophia stated bluntly.

"I never said that!" Draco shouted, blushing.

"Ha, whatever." Sophia continued writing and the scratching of the quill substituted for the conversation.

"So what exactly did she say?" Draco wondered.

"She told me to stay away from you, like you were some piece of her property." This was it, what was he going to say to _that!_

Dammit. He just shrugged his shoulders.

"I told her you were a human being and that you belonged to no one, not her, not me."

There we go. She got his attention now. He peeked up over his book to look at her.

"Why are you so nice to people?" he sneered.

"Excuse me? Why am I so nice? Why are _you_ so cold-hearted? You hate everyone." He smiled. Why did he like her telling him he was nasty? What was wrong with this guy? "You've got problems, Draco."

"If you say so."

"So what is the problem you've been trying to fix?"

"You can't trick me, Dune," he said with a smirk.

"Dammit." She chuckled at her defeat. She tried getting it out of him but it was no use. He wasn't going to give anything up.

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A week later, Sophia sat on her bed playing with her brown leather satchel. She kept things in the bag that were important to her and things that she wanted to keep close to her. She had placed the bottle of polyjuice potion in the bag along with a couple of sickles and galleons. She kept a phoenix feather in the bag also. Her Aunt had tied it around Sophia's stocking on Christmas Day about seven years ago, when Sophia was ten years old. Her parents weren't aware of the importance and rarity of the gift, but Sophia understood why they didn't. She couldn't expect them too understand. After all, they _were_ Muggles.

It was an hour before dinner and Sophia wanted to watch the sun set on the Black Lake. She took her brown satchel and walked leisurely to the same tree she always sat under. The nights were becoming less chilly because of the approaching summer weather, and Sophia soaked in the warmth. Unfortunately, the sun wasn't setting just yet and wouldn't be until dinnertime.

"Oh well…" Sophia sighed. "It's still beautiful." She soaked in the serenity, and felt the stillness of the evening all around her. She recollected all the memories of her sixth year at Hogwarts. She had accomplished so much, and wondered what her seventh year would be like. She decided that her goal for next year will be to improve her Quidditch skills, or else Ravenclaw will never win the Quidditch Cup!

Sophia cherished this spot and this tree. It brought her into a peaceful state, and she needed that after what had happened this past year. Most of the stress had come from Draco. It wasn't exactly _all_ his fault, and Sophia was glad she befriended him. That was another goal of hers for next year, to help make Draco a better person. At first he won't see eye to eye with her, but she'll make him.

What was that?

A soft note…

And another…and another…

Making a chain of notes…a melody.

She spun her head around to look in the direction that the song was playing. It was the most beautiful sound Sophia had ever heard.

It was coming from Draco.

Draco sings?

No. From his hands.

What's making the noise?

He came closer to her, and smiled. He held out his right hand, and Sophia's hand fell underneath it. He let a golden locket fall into her palm. She gawked at it and its beauty. The music was enchanting.

"I knew you'd like it." Sophia stood up to get closer to him.

"It's…it's, oh Merlin! Why did you get this?" Sophia studied his face to see if this was all a joke. His face was completely innocent. He embraced her and Sophia's doubts were melting away.

"Happy Belated Christmas," he breathed in her ear.

"I…thank you…" she trailed off. "You look bett—" the words got caught in her throat. She choked and he rubbed her back.

"I look better, I know. My health has improved."

"You still look tired," she managed to get out.

"Yea." Then, out of the blue, he kissed her.

His lips touched hers, and they were lost in a snog. Sophia felt as though nothing else in the world could be better than this moment. When their lips had finally parted Sophia asked with a daze,

"What was _that_ for?"

"I did it." Sophia instantly knew what those words meant. She cried out in joy and jumped on him. He stumbled backwards but recovered his balance.

"YES! SEE? I TOLD YOU DRACO, DIDN'T I? I KNEW YOU COULD! YES! YES! YES!" she cheered gleefully. He beamed at her and replied,

"Yes Sophia. It's all because of you."

"Because of me?" He nodded yes. "All I did was—"

"—Frighten me." Sophia burst out laughing and said she was sorry for scaring him. She didn't think she could be that intimidating. She told him that it was all a joke of course. "No. I'm serious. You really did scare me Sophia." This time there was no laughter coming from her. She shook her head to grasp what he was saying. "You told me that giving up was pitiful and pathetic. And I realized you were right. I would just be worthless and weak if I had surrendered." He held her head in his hands and told her, "You helped me, and I didn't think I needed help. I was wrong. And I'm frustrated about that. But if it was you who helped me, than that makes me less annoyed with myself. Because I like you."

A tear trickled down her rouged cheeks. "It's all because of you." He kissed her again.

"Draco…why can't you be like this all the time?" she whimpered.

He snorted and answered, "What do you mean?"

"You really are nice, Draco. Why do you have to pretend to be rotten?" He spoke no reply to her question, only held her in his arms.

After a few minutes of silence he said, "Come on, we'll be late for dinner." He took his finger and wiped a tear from her cheek, and she dabbed her eyes with her sleeves. They walked up to the castle entrance hand in hand. "Be careful, alright?" Sophia looked up at him in confusion. "Just be cautious, that's all." His face was stern and sincere, but Sophia didn't take him seriously.

"Okaaay…" Sophia giggled. He stared ahead, silent, his eyes moving back and forth. "What's wrong? You seem nervous."

"What? Oh. No, I'm not. Just tired, I guess." Sophia didn't fully believe that though. At least he didn't snap at her like he usually would have.

"So do you like the locket?" he asked, changing the subject, as she was observing the initials S.J.D. on the back of the locket.

"I love it. But why did you have to add the middle initial?"

"I overheard some friend of yours call you by it. Why, what's wrong with Jamie?" Sophia stuck her tongue out at the sound of her middle name. He laughed and added, "What about the song?"

"It's absolutely wonderful. And I really mean it. I will _never_ forget that sound."

And she never would.


	12. The Lightning Struck Tower

**Disclaimer: I do not own the plot, the world, the characters, or any other aspect of the series Harry Potter written by J.K. Rowling. I do copy exact words from "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and I admit I do not own the text. **

**This plotline was original but it falls in line with the plot line of the sixth book.**

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

**The Lightning-Struck Tower**

* * *

Draco had told Sophia to be careful. She didn't know what he meant, but she figured that he must know something. Sophia had been waiting for something bad to happen to Hogwarts all year long. Days had gone by where Sophia knew danger was just around the corner. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was back and her whole sixth year at Hogwarts had been nerve racking. Anything could happen at anytime and danger was everywhere. Mistrust flooded the school and almost every place in the wizarding community. So it was to no surprise when she woke with a start at the moment Luna Lovegood had exited the Raveclaw common room. 

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Sophia abruptly sat up in on the couch and stared at the door seeing a dark figure. When she had heard the door creaking open she thought someone was coming _into_ the room, but luckily it was someone leaving; but who?

She had been sleeping out in the common room because she was having a hard time sleeping. She didn't know why, but she found it impossible to fall asleep tonight.

Her curiosity overpowered her fear of putting her life in jeopardy. Over the past few months she began feeling more like a courageous Gryffindor rather than a clever Ravenclaw. Draco Malfoy had some influence in this sensation, because he made her feel like she could do anything. She was confident that she was intelligent enough to keep herself out of trouble. She decided that is was neither smart nor stupid to follow her fellow peer out of the room. She came to think it was the sense of living on the edge and bettering herself if she came in contact with danger. She knew her brilliance about spells and protection could save her.

The common room was dark but Sophia's eyes were already adjusted and she could still see the silhouette near the exit. Sophia then realized that this person would not like it very much if someone was following them. They obviously didn't _want_ anyone following them if they were being so quiet. She racked her brain to try and remember the charm that Maggie had taught her a few weeks ago, and she pulled out her wand to cast a Disillusionment Charm on herself. It felt as though someone had poured cold water over her, and she felt a trickling of water down her whole body. She immediately blended in with her surroundings and fumbled around to make sure her satchel was slung across her shoulder. She felt it and got off of the couch without making a sound and slinked out into the murky hallway.

She made less noise than the other student and guessed it was because they had been in a hurry to get somewhere. Sophia's curiosity heightened and thought that she, too, should hasten in her pace to keep up with the unknown person.

The figure was striding down the hallway quickly and Sophia struggled to keep up without being heard. She was still too far way to decipher who exactly this person was, not to mention the darkness that engulfed them. Finally, they stepped foot into a hallway that was lit with candles hanging from the walls. Sophia stared at the figure trying to determine who it was. She saw blonde hair and a wand behind the ear. It was none other than the Luna Lovegood of Ravenclaw.

Why in the world was she out this late at night? Sophia couldn't make sense of it. There must be something terribly wrong…

After minutes of trailing Luna, Sophia realized where they were headed. Luna's destination was the dungeons. She stopped right in front of the entrance to Snape's office and Sophia couldn't make sense of it. What would Luna be doing outside Snape's office at this time of the night? A few minutes later Hermione Granger joined Luna.

"Okay. Ron, Neville, and Ginny are waiting outside the Room Of Requirement seeing if he'll come out," Hermione informed Luna. Hermione was breathing heavily, and Sophia noted that she too was in a rush.

"I believe that something is going to happen tonight…I trust Harry and what he senses…and if he's out with Dumbledore tonight…" Luna's voice said shakily.

"It's alright. Harry left us the potion, we'll have all the luck we need and if he's not back in time then we have Lupin, Tonks, and the rest of them," Hermione comforted.

"I feel disconnected from Ron and the rest of them…they're up on the seventh floor and we're all the way down here…" Luna said nervously. Sophia didn't stand around to hear more, she had heard enough. She knew that something was being planned tonight, or that's what Harry Potter had believed true.

Sophia sprinted through the school from the depths of the dungeons to the seventh floor. She glanced around anxiously for two red heads and a head of brown hair. It was lighter up here because of all the windows and the moonlight shined through. That's when she realized the moon wasn't the only source of light…

Ron, Ginny, and Neville were no where to be found and the Dark Mark stood there in the sky above the astronomy tower. Sophia's whole body shivered and without second thoughts and doubts she dashed towards the astronomy tower. As she got closer, she could hear frantic yelling and crashes. This only made her run faster. She peered into the room that held the spiral staircase that led up to the tower. She couldn't believe her eyes.

Her old professor, Remus Lupin, Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom, a tall red headed man that seemed to resemble Ron, Ginny Weasley, Professor McGonagall, and many others were casting spells in every direction. Large masked creatures did the same, and she quickly realized they were Death Eaters. One man was abnormally large and moved around as though he was some sort of wild creature. He stared at people as though he were _hungry_. Sophia's stomach did a double flip.

She watched in amazement as Neville charged at the spiral staircase but rebounded and was thrown onto his back. There must have been some sort of barrier.

"I believe only Death Eaters can get through," she overheard Lupin explain in a murmur to a girl with bright pink hair. Sophia stood still for a few seconds while trying to come up with a way to get through. Obviously if the others wanted to get through then there was something up there. Suddenly it hit her. She unsnapped the bag that lay across her chest and took out a small bottle. The bottle that contained the Polyjuice Potion Draco had given to her as a thank you. There was only a small fraction that would last about ten minutes, because that was all Draco had to give; but it would do.

A Death Eater had collapsed a few feet away from her and she took this as her chance. She grabbed a tuft of hair and dropped it into the flask and watched it bubble. She gulped it down in half a second and could already feel herself transforming. Her legs, torso, and arms extended only a couple inches, and her hair shortened so that it fell neatly above her shoulders. It was an odd sensation because she could not see what she had turned into. She ran across the room trying to avoid being hit by curses and jinxes, and muttered some herself. There was so much commotion no one even noticed that an extra Death Eater or two had been stupefied by some unknown source.

She stopped dead in front of the stairway and extended her arm. She slowly forced herself to push her arm forward. She felt nothing. It worked. The jinx couldn't recognize whether a real or fake Death Eater went through. Joy surged through her body and she stepped onto the stairwell. She was frightened at what she might encounter up atop the tower. She sauntered up the spiral staircase, and as she reached the top she heard two familiar voices.

"There is little time, one way or another," said Dumbledore. "So let us discuss your options, Draco."

Draco? Draco Malfoy? No…it couldn't be…

"_My _options! I'm standing here with a wand – I'm about to kill you –"

It was him. She would recognize his voice anywhere. But his voice was quivering, and she could hear his sense of fear.

"My dear boy, let us have no more pretense about that. If you were going to kill me, you would have done it when you first disarmed me, you would not have stopped for this pleasant chat about ways and means."

_Kill?_ _Kill Dumbledore?_ Draco could never kill! _Would_ never kill!

"I haven't got any options! I've got to do it! He'll kill me! He'll kill my whole family!"

_He?_ Who is _He_?

"I appreciate the difficulty of your position. Why else do you think I have not confronted you before now? Because I knew that you would have been murdered if Lord Voldemort realized that I suspected you." Draco winced.

_Voldemort_? Kill Draco and his family? But why? Since when? He had never mentioned this problem before….

"I did not dare speak to you of the mission with which I knew you had been entrusted, in case he used Legilimency against you." Dumbledore continued on, "But now at last we can speak plainly to each other…No harm has been done, you have hurt nobody, though you are very lucky that your unintentional victims survived…I can help you, Draco."

Was this a _joke?_

"No, you can't. Nobody can. He told me to do it or he'll kill me. I've got no choice."

Sophia gaped at Draco. His wand was shaking violently because his hand was trembling. She couldn't believe what was happening…

"He cannot kill you if you are already dead. Come over to the right side, Draco, and we can hide you more completely than you can possibly imagine. What is more, I can send members of the Order to your mother tonight to hide her likewise. Nobody would be surprised that you had died in your attempt to kill me – forgive me, but Lord Voldemort probably expects it. Nor would the Death Eaters be surprised that we had captured and killed your mother – it is what they would do themselves, after all. Your father is safe at the moment in Azkaban…When the time comes, we can protect him too. Come over to the right side, Draco…you are not a killer…"

No. He isn't. He never will be.

"But I got this far, didn't I? They thought I'd die in the attempt, but I'm here…and you're in my power…I'm the one with the wand…You're at my mercy…"

No! Draco! What are you saying? Go with Dumbledore! Trust him! Why do you want respect and honor from those _disgusting_ people? What is _wrong_ with you? Sophia's head was exploding. She strode up behind Draco with her head above his left shoulder. She felt as though her body was involuntary. She whispered into his ear.

"Please…" a voice spoke.

"No, Draco," said Dumbledore quietly. A pair of arms wrapped around Draco's chest.

"Don't kill Dumbledore…" the voice pleaded.

"It is my mercy, and not yours, that matters now."

Draco's mouth hung open and couldn't make sense of the two voices that were speaking to him, both familiar, both kind.

"I love you…" the voice whimpered. Draco's wand dropped a small amount and his shoulder started to feel wet…like someone was crying…like he had before…the first time he met…

Four Death Eaters erupted through the door and knocked Draco aside and Sophia went flying across the floor. Her body and head hit the rock floor simultaneously and she groaned, though no one could hear because the Death Eaters talked loudly to one another as soon as they had appeared.

The next five minutes were blurred and Sophia only caught some of the banter. Her hearing was becoming stifled and her eyes were hazy. She heard parts of conversation but the voices were muffled.

"Dumbledore cornered…Well done, Draco, well done!"

"And, yes, I am a little shocked that Draco here invited you, of all people, into the school where his friends live…"

"I didn't….I didn't know he was going to come…"

"He's not long for this world anyway, if you ask me!"

"Always the same, weren't yeh, Dumby, talking and doing nothing, nothing…Come on, Draco, do it!"

"REDUCTO!" screamed numerous voices from below.

"Now, Draco, quickly!"

"I'll do it."

"I said no!"

A flash of light.

"…or stand aside so one of us…"

More footsteps from the stairs.

"…please…" a voice groaned.

A flash of green light.

Sophia's head was whirling and her eyes could no longer stay in focus. They shut, and her ears gave up. Her mind went blank.

She lay unconscious.


	13. Realization

**Disclaimer: I do not own the plot, the world, the characters, or any other aspect of the series Harry Potter written by J.K. Rowling. I do copy exact words from "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and I admit I do not own the text. **

**This plotline was original but it falls in line with the plot line of the sixth book.**

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Realization**

* * *

"Filius! It's one of Filius'!" Professor McGonagall shouted to a fellow professor. She had just finished reversing the Disillusionment Charm after she had caught herself from tripping over an invisible body. "Ms. Dune! It's Sophia Dune!" she cried. Sophia woke as the murmur of a voice came closer. "Ms. Dune! Are you alright, dear?" 

"I…I'm fine Professor," she managed to get out weakly. McGonagall kneeled down beside her.

"Go get Madam Pomfrey!" she ordered the teacher. "What happened? How did you get here? We checked the whole school and you were missing!" McGonagall exclaimed.

"I was under the Disillusionment Charm, sorry Professor," Sophia admitted. She was too out of it to make up an excuse.

"Why? And how did you get knocked out?"

"I…don't remember? I mean, I remember a pack of Death Eaters coming at me but they didn't see me so they bumped into me. There was so much commotion they probably didn't even notice me. But I don't remember much after that."

"You…you were laying atop the astronomy tower…where…" McGonagall paused. It took her several tries to gain the courage to say what she was going to say. "Professor Dumbledore died this evening, Ms. Dune. And you were at the spot where he died."

Sophia simply stared at McGonagall with wide eyes and an open mouth. It was true…he was dead…

"But…but…"

"Ms. Dune, you _must_ tell me if you saw _anything_," she urged.

"All I heard were voices…and then footsteps…someone else came…more arguing…and then a flash of green light." McGonagall shivered. "Then I blacked out."

"Okay. Thank you very much Ms. Dune. Your information has helped the situation a little. Now let's get you to Madam Pomfrey." McGonagall helped Sophia up onto her feet and the other professor, which Sophia could see now that it was Professor Sprout, came hurrying over with Madam Pomfrey and a stretcher.

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Sophia lay there in the hospital wing staring up at the ceiling trying to put the puzzle pieces together. Professor McGonagall, Madame Pomfrey, Lupin, and many other people she didn't recognize were in the corner of the room huddled together whispering. Sophia couldn't hear them, and quite frankly didn't care.

Dumbledore…_dead_. It seemed almost impossible. He couldn't die. He was _Dumbledore_. She tried regaining thought of the event she had witnessed. She started from the spiral staircase…walking up…hearing two voices…Dumbledore and…Draco. Draco Malfoy. She remembered him and she trembled. He couldn't possibly have…

"Ms. Dune?" McGonagall said interrupting Sophia's thoughts.

"Yes Professor?"

"Madam Pomfrey says you will have to stay in the hospital wing until tomorrow, I am very sorry. The students will be departing for home after Dumbledore's funeral. Thank you, Ms. Dune." McGonagall turned and began sauntering towards the door.

"Professor." McGonagall turned back around to look at Sophia. "How…how did the Death Eaters get into the school?" Her voice quivered. McGonagall sighed.

"It seems as though they used the set of Vanishing Cabinets to gain entry into Hogwarts."

"Where were they?" Sophia asked, suddenly intrigued.

"One of the two was in…" she stopped dead in the middle of her sentence. "I'm sorry Ms. Dune, I believe I cannot tell you that much." Now, Sophia was a Ravenclaw. She wasn't a dolt. She thought of a place in Hogwarts that wasn't known among a lot of people. She remembered the D.A. and Luna Lovegood talking about it once. Sophia had been interested but never had the time. Luna had mentioned that the D.A. meetings took place in a room that changes according to your needs. It was called something along the lines of…

"The Room Of Requirement, Professor?" McGonagall gawked at Sophia, and nodded her head curtly. "But…Professor! Who would do such a thing? How did it get there? Isn't the room of Requirement a secret? How did someone manage to get their hands on the cabinets? And weren't they broken?" Sophia blurted out a million questions at once. McGonagall barely understood what she was saying.

"Ms. Dune, please! Not so fast!"

"Sorry Professor."

"It's quite alright. I do recall them being broken, but they must have been fixed. As to who let the Death Eaters into this school, I cannot say for certain right now. Get some rest." She gazed at Sophia, and a tear rolled down her cheek. "Goodnight, Sophia."

That was the first time Professor McGonagall had ever called Sophia by her first name.

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Thoughts raced through Sophia's mind all night and she couldn't fall asleep. So much had happened and so little made sense. She didn't want to think about Draco and Dumbledore…and what Draco might have done. Did he?

The Room Of Requirement…the Vanishing Cabinets…Death Eaters…Draco…flash of green light…Dumbledore…what did it all mean?

Well, the Room of Requirement was on the seventh floor, she knew that much. Had anything unusual happened up there? Not that she had witnessed. But someone _else_ did…Crabbe. He had used Polyjuice Potion to look like someone else…

She tried to remember what the voices were saying as she lay on the floor unable to be seen. "Dumbledore cornered…Well done, Draco, well done!"… "Now, Draco, quickly!"… "…please…"

She could hear the voices in her head and it pained her to. She couldn't comprehend the death of Albus Dumbledore. What more she couldn't understand was that Draco had been the one to say those awful, evil words.

_Avada Kedavra…_

She heard him say it and saw a flash of green light. No! It was true. She had to accept that fact. She couldn't deny it any longer. Draco Malfoy killed Albus Dumbledore.

He was the one…it was him who put the cabinet in the Room Of Requirement…that's what he had been doing all the time he had disappeared…that was his problem…"I don't know how to fix it…this problem…I just can't do it."…"Do you have any of the ingredients for Polyjuice Potion?"…"I did it."…he looked much healthier than before…"All thanks to you Sophia. You helped me so much. Thank you."…"Without you I couldn't have done it."…Done what?

Transformed Crabbe and Goyle to be the look out.

Fix the cabinet.

Let the Death Eaters into Hogwarts.

Kill Albus Dumbledore.

How could he do such a thing? How could _she_ do such a thing? Was she _that _blind? Sophia's eyes became glassy and tears flooded from her eyes. She had been oblivious the whole time. She silently wept as she came to a realization. A worse realization than that of the killing of Dumbledore by the boy she had fallen in love with.

She, Sophia Jamie Dune, had helped kill Albus Dumbledore.


End file.
